The format of the Wonderful North virtual exhibition was partly inspired by the history of international expo events of the last 50 years, for example the Festival of Britain.

The Festival of Britain took place in 1951 (100 years after the Great Exhibition) at a point of massive social, cultural, economical, geographical and international post war change. The Labour government under Atlee was embarking on state driven social reform and the Festival of Britain set out to present an optimistic vision of the future. It spread across the whole of Britain from the Exhibition of Industrial Power and Shipbuilding in Glasgow, The Farm and Factory exhibition in Northern Ireland, to the Peoples Pavilion, and Homes and Gardens at the South Bank in London. It provided an opportunity to showcase the collective and individual achievements and talents of Britons. Events dealt with history, industry, science and the arts, and explored various aspects of cultural and everyday life at mid-century, where it was and what it might become.

An important legacy of the festival was the change it made to the character of the South Bank, London. Despite many of the structures being removed when the conservatives came into power at the end of 1951 the festival transformed it from a site of industry to a place of culture and the arts.